8,885 research outputs found
A Geometry for Non-Geometric String Backgrounds
A geometric string solution has background fields in overlapping coordinate
patches related by diffeomorphisms and gauge transformations, while for a
non-geometric background this is generalised to allow transition functions
involving duality transformations. Non-geometric string backgrounds arise from
T-duals and mirrors of flux compactifications, from reductions with duality
twists and from asymmetric orbifolds. Strings in ` T-fold' backgrounds with a
local -torus fibration and T-duality transition functions in are
formulated in an enlarged space with a fibration which is geometric,
with spacetime emerging locally from a choice of a submanifold of each
fibre, so that it is a subspace or brane embedded in the enlarged
space. T-duality acts by changing to a different subspace of .
For a geometric background, the local choices of fit together to give a
spacetime which is a bundle, while for non-geometric string backgrounds
they do not fit together to form a manifold. In such cases spacetime geometry
only makes sense locally, and the global structure involves the doubled
geometry. For open strings, generalised D-branes wrap a subspace of each
fibre and the physical D-brane is the part of the part of the physical
space lying in the generalised D-brane subspace.Comment: 28 Pages. Minor change
Nongeometry, Duality Twists, and the Worldsheet
In this paper, we use orbifold methods to construct nongeometric backgrounds,
and argue that they correspond to the spacetimes discussed in \cite{dh,wwf}.
More precisely, we make explicit through several examples the connection
between interpolating orbifolds and spacetime duality twists. We argue that
generic nongeometric backgrounds arising from duality twists will not have
simple orbifold constructions and then proceed to construct several examples
which do have a consistent worldsheet description.Comment: v2-references added; v3-minor correction (eqn. 4.17
Generalised Geometry for M-Theory
Generalised geometry studies structures on a d-dimensional manifold with a
metric and 2-form gauge field on which there is a natural action of the group
SO(d,d). This is generalised to d-dimensional manifolds with a metric and
3-form gauge field on which there is a natural action of the group .
This provides a framework for the discussion of M-theory solutions with flux. A
different generalisation is to d-dimensional manifolds with a metric, 2-form
gauge field and a set of p-forms for either odd or even on which there is a
natural action of the group . This is useful for type IIA or IIB
string solutions with flux. Further generalisations give extended tangent
bundles and extended spin bundles relevant for non-geometric backgrounds.
Special structures that arise for supersymmetric backgrounds are discussed.Comment: 31 page
Flux Compactifications of M-Theory on Twisted Tori
We find the bosonic sector of the gauged supergravities that are obtained
from 11-dimensional supergravity by Scherk-Schwarz dimensional reduction with
flux to any dimension D. We show that, if certain obstructions are absent, the
Scherk-Schwarz ansatz for a finite set of D-dimensional fields can be extended
to a full compactification of M-theory, including an infinite tower of
Kaluza-Klein fields. The internal space is obtained from a group manifold
(which may be non-compact) by a discrete identification. We discuss the
symmetry algebra and the symmetry breaking patterns and illustrate these with
particular examples. We discuss the action of U-duality on these theories in
terms of symmetries of the D-dimensional supergravity, and argue that in
general it will take geometric flux compactifications to M-theory on
non-geometric backgrounds, such as U-folds with U-duality transition functions.Comment: Latex, 47 page
Superstring partition functions in the doubled formalism
Computation of superstring partition function for the non-linear sigma model
on the product of a two-torus and its dual within the scope of the doubled
formalism is presented. We verify that it reproduces the partition functions of
the toroidally compactified type--IIA and type--IIB theories for appropriate
choices of the GSO projection.Comment: 15 page
Backreacted T-folds and non-geometric regions in configuration space
We provide the backreaction of the T-fold doubly T-dual to a background with
NSNS three-form flux on a three-torus. We extend the backreacted T-fold to
include cases with a flux localized in one out of three directions. We analyze
the resulting monodromy domain walls and vortices. In these backgrounds, we
give an analysis of the action of T-duality on observables like charges and
Wilson surfaces. We analyze arguments for the existence of regions in the
configuration space of second quantized string theory that cannot be reduced to
geometry. Finally, by allowing for space-dependent moduli, we find a
supergravity solution which is a T-fold with hyperbolic monodromies.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor changes, reference adde
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